By CARRIE NEAL
A Seat on the Aisle
House Hunters, Fixer Upper, Property Brothers, Trading Spaces … most of us have binge-watched an HGTV series while sick on the couch, or eagerly awaited the next episode of a favorite show. This commonality makes the HGTV setting of Dream Hou$e a brilliant choice, but playwright Eliana Pipes uses that jumping-off point to plumb much greater depths.
On one level, it’s a family drama, as so many of our great plays seem to be. Two Latina sisters have just lost their mother, and the time has come to dispose of the home that has been in their family for generations. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the siblings cannot agree on the best course of action. On a deeper level, the play wrestles with the question of whether gentrification is always wrong. Is it still opportunistic if it presents the singular chance in a hardworking life to make a profit?
As Patricia, the sister who wants to sell the family home, Yolanda Valdivia gives a sparkling and energetic performance. The character is driven and can come across as too aggressive, but that’s only because she wants a better life for herself, her sister, and the baby her sister is carrying. As Julia, the sister opposed to the sale, Lexes Rubio provides a foil that is more centered and down-to-earth, although she could have shown more variance in her performance.
Lexes Rubio (left) and Yolanda Valdivia as sisters Julia and Patricia. (Photo by Ankh Productions)
Things get really interesting when we learn that Patricia has signed them up to be participants in an HGTV show, Flip It and List It! As Tessa, the host of the show, Jean Arnold is a force to be reckoned with. The onstage energy shoots up even higher as soon as she enters and remains that way for the rest of the play. Her performance is over-the-top in the way of all the most mesmerizing television hosts.
As is only fitting for a piece on this subject, the set is an additional star of the show. Bernard Killian’s set design is perfectly evocative and lends itself well to being staged and even partially demolished at certain points in the play. The quirky details of the props add an extra layer, especially when they’re being switched by crew members from actual family heirlooms to fake ones that may play better on television.
Jean Arnold (center) as Tessa, the TV host of Flip It and List It! (Photo by Ankh Productions)
This heartwarming, thought-provoking piece, ably directed by Jordan Flores Schwartz, seems a perfect fit for the mission of the Fonseca Theatre Company. The light number of audience members was a disappointment and perhaps had something to do with the unusual curtain time of 4 p.m. on a Saturday.
Dream Hou$e can be seen onstage through April 16, at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, 4 p.m. on Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. For ticket info go to fonsecatheatre.org/buy-tickets.
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